Episode one

Sitting on the fresh grasses in the Songnisan forest, a young man was meditating in silent, trying to find his Ki, meaning his vital breath like his other fellows in the Beopjusa temple did when they were training their martial art, the Sonmudo, balancing his energies center with his breath and hands on his stomach.

What did the Head Master Song have said to him already? Concentrating his breathing in the center of his body. But where was his center? To be honest, Yunho has never found his center. Then, releasing the tension in his body, breathing in and breathing out, feeling his energy and pushing it through his gates.

But soon, the apprentice monk gave up at the first hurdle.

"Aish! How could they do it?" Yunho grunted with frustration. He let himself fall backwards on the mass of fresh grasses. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm down a bit.

He felt jealous of his fellow comrades who, day after day, could step forwards in their apprenticeship until their ordination while he was not able to move further in his. Never feeling anything. No strength. No gate.

Since he was a child, Yunho never learned the doctrines to be a monk like the other children his age. The monastic order never let him be near a book or never taught him the art of the Sonmudo, only quartering him to the washing dishes and the cooking tasks since he was a five years old child. Only now, they let him learn the base of the Essence-Function philosophy of Beopju, a doctrine of the Beopsuja temple. But on one condition, he should only listen to their prayer.

At this point, everyone would think of him as a stupid lad. And it frustrated him to no point.

Yunho sighed and opened his eyes to the blue sky devoid of clouds above him. Everything around him was so peaceful. However, nothing could define the torment he felt inside his mind. The young man meant well but nothing was going his way.

One day, he will show them that he wasn't useless as they thought of him.

"One day..." He breathed out slowly.

Suddenly, the young man heard a crystalline laugh coming from the waterfalls nearby. Intrigued by the unusual laugh, Yunho stood up from his laying position and walked carefully toward the wall of rocks located on his left.

The young apprentice monk knew very well every corner of this forest since he was a child, loving to spend all his free time in this place away from the high-spirited atmosphere of the Beopjusa temple. And no one than his fellow companions from the temple had the guts to enter this forest which was musty when Spring started, dried when Summer showed up, cold when Fall blew his harsh breeze above those highest trees and frozen when Winter planted his long white coat of snow on this deserted land. It was a wonderful and mystical place to his eyes. His personal pace until today.

And who could be this joyful fellow who had the guts to go through this holy place? Mostly to enter his living space?

The young apprentice monk climbed those rocks with agility and stealthy looked at the direction of the waterfalls. A child was swimming happily while trying to catch a fish. But the aquatic animal was not ready to be captured and slid away from the child's hands.

"Don't go!" Said the child while laughing softly. And soon he swam toward the same direction as the aquatic animal, making the fellow stalker hiding behind a rock chuckle softly at the adorable sight of this child.

Indulging in his pleasure of watching the young newcomer in this monastic domain, Yunho lost his balance and fell noisily and graceless from the rock he was perched when the child turned his face in his direction.

"Oh Lord..." Yunho cussed in his mind while praying for forgiveness from their Creator. The child was not a young boy but a young girl. And he had taken pleasure to linger his eyes on her innocence without restraint.

"Who's there?" The child asked aloud, turning his eyes to the direction where the noise came from.

"Don't be afraid." The young apprentice monk said showing himself from his hiding place with his eyes shut. Honesty was his flaw. Yunho could stay still behind that rock, or eventually run away. But, the young lad was honest enough to show himself to the innocence creature of God. "I beg your pardon." Yunho turned his back to the young girl, preventing any mistake of his part if inadvertently he opened his eyes and ghosted his stare at her ivory and flawless body. "My Lady, I wasn't aware of your gender. Would your honorable person forgive my guts to set my eyes on you in your humble birth body?" He never thought that he was watching a young girl taking her bath until he took glance at her beautiful visage. Yunho had never seen someone as beautiful as this young girl with pale and flawless skin, eyes more charming than a doe.

"My... Lady?" The child said with a frown. It wasn't the first time someone misjudged him for a girl.

"It wasn't my purpose to stealthily look at you." Yunho added, massaging the back of his neck while shaking his head slightly trying not to think at her rosy lips which seemed to appeal him.

"Who do you call my Lady?" asked the child with wonder. Even with his voice the man still took him as a girl. Of course, his voice had not molted into a matured one. But, people could tell the difference between a girl's voice and a boy's voice. Or was this fellow lad so stubborn to let himself deny the real nature of the object of  his encounter.

"You. There's no girl than you my Lady in those sacred lands. No woman is allowed to enter those lands belonging to the Beopjusa temple."

"Could you turn to me?"

"I... I'm not the kind of man who will take advantage of a young lady as you." Yunho stuttered.

The child smiled and rolled up his eyes at this gentleman. In his journey, Jaejoong never saw a young man nor a man this shy and innocent, not wanting to look at a woman even if the lady gave him her permission.

"You could look at me."

"No. I won't." Yunho panicked, taking a step further from the waterfalls' side still looking at anywhere in front of him. "You should only let your beloved spouse linger his eyes over you. I'm just a mere young apprentice monk in the Beopjusa temple. And once I will receive my ordination I would devote my life and servitude toward the people surrounded me for the good of our Lord."

"You're too kind for the men who populate our world." The boy said, swimming toward the border. "They don't deserve your loyalty. And God or Lord, whatever name you give him, is not clement to humanity with all the barbarians who serve the rulers of this honorable Samguk Sagi."

"My lady, do not think that God doesn't know our feelings..." Yunho frowned when he heard a sound from the waterfalls as if the young girl was withdrawing from the cold and clear water. "What are you doing my Lady?" He asked in panic, shutting his eyes again not wanting to see her body, fearing that she had the bravery to show herself, in front of him.

"Nothing much than getting out of my bath." The young boy said amused by this shy fellow.

"Please cover yourself. I'm-"

"...a stranger not my spouse." Jaejoong interrupted this fellow lad, but soon a grin was plastered on his lips, having a plan in his mischievous mind. "You were looking at me for awhile when I was swimming peacefully in this waterfalls. How could I clear myself from this situation when people will learn that a man has set his eyes on my body?" The young boy added with a sad voice while dressing himself with his humble hanbok.

"I'm sorry my Lady..." Yunho felt repentant, knowing exactly what he had done wrong to her dignity. "If it eases your worry I will take my responsibilities toward your humble person."

"Would you?" Jaejoong marched toward the apprentice monk and stepped in front of the latter with an amused smile, knowing that the young man could not see him with his eyes still shut. What a gentleman.

"If you don't blame yourself to be tied to a poor and orphan like me, I will devote my whole life to your humble person. To redeem what I did wrong to your innocence."

"But you're an apprentice monk. Will your monastic order let you renounce at your devotion?" The young boy asked while playing with a strand of his hair still wet from his bath.

"They would be disappointed if I did not take my responsibilities after the unpardonable affront you have suffered by my insolence."

"So... you and I... are..." Jaejoong lowered his head being a bit shy at the thought that this fellow young man was ready to take his responsibilities toward his person, an unknown person who was trying to trick him.

"I would be honored to be your husband." Yunho said quietly with an ensuring smile while Jaejoong wanted to laugh at this strange but honest young man. Not by mockery but with contentment by knowing that in this world filled with barbarians there were still some righteous men. And a virtuous man as him, the young boy had never met once since he landed in the Korean peninsula. It would be interesting to have this fellow by his side.

"Do I have your word?" The young boy asked softly. And he did not hide his smile, hoping that he could own this foolish lad for real.

"You have, my Lady." Yunho nodded eagerly with his eyes s